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Ban Treaty negotiations head to finish line!

29.06.2017 More than 125 nations are completing negotiations on a new treaty to ban nuclear weapons at the UN. IPPNW and ICAN are in the room as full civil society participants, advocating for the strongest possible language to condemn nuclear weapons and to create the legal and moral foundation for their complete elimination.

A draft of the Treaty released earlier this week cites “the catastrophic humanitarian consequences that would result from any use of nuclear weapons” and asserts that their complete elimination is “the only way to guarantee that nuclear weapons are never used again under any circumstances.” The Treaty prohibits the development, production, possession, transfer, testing, and use of nuclear weapons, as well as all forms of assistance in carrying out any prohibited activities.

As negotiations enter their final week, state and civil society participants will need to work out some remaining differences on how nuclear-armed and nuclear-dependent states, which have boycotted the negotiations, can join the Treaty at a later date and come into compliance with the prohibitions. The conference president, Elayne Whyte, has continued to express confidence that the Treaty will be ready for adoption when negotiations conclude on July 7.

Passage of the historic agreement will strip away any pretense that nuclear weapons are legitimate instruments of military and political power and open the floodgates to effective actions for nuclear disarmament.